Original artwork, not a still
See with eyes unclouded by hate.
— Princess Mononoke • 1997
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Ashitaka's whole role in the film is in this sentence: a boy cursed by hatred who refuses to answer hatred with hatred, and so becomes the only person who can stand between the forest and Irontown. It works as a motto because it is practical rather than sentimental, an instruction on how to look at a conflict. Fans quote it whenever a story needs someone to judge both sides fairly.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Princess MononokeShow the scene
In the Emishi village, the boar god Nago has been corrupted into a demon, and Ashitaka kills it to save his people, but the demon's hatred marks his arm with a spreading curse. The village's wise woman, Hii-sama, reads the stones and tells him the curse will kill him, and he must leave the village for ever and travel west to find the source of Nago's hatred. The phrase becomes Ashitaka's creed on that journey: when Lady Eboshi asks what he has come to Irontown for, he answers that he came to see with eyes unclouded by hate, and she laughs and offers to show him her secrets.
Sources (3)
- Studio Ghibli Fandom Wiki: Princess Mononokeplot summary: the Wise Woman and Ashitaka's exile to the WestReference checked
- Wikiquote: Princess Mononokedialogue between Lady Eboshi and AshitakaReference checked
- Studio Ghibli Fandom Wiki: Hii-samaPlotReference checked
Context reviewed
